There's One Word Nest Employees Should Never Say Around Tony Fadell

Nest CE) and cofounder Tony Fadell AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez Tony Fadell, the CEO of smart home gadget maker Nest Labs — acquired by Google for $3.2 billion — is known for pushing employees to uphold his extremely high design standards. Fast Company's recent profile provides a glimpse of what it's like to work with Fadell, including the one word that always drives him crazy during product meetings.

Before cofounding Nest Labs in 2010, Fadell worked at Apple as part of the team that created the original iPhone and iPod. A former Apple employee that worked with Fadell during his time at the company said he hated when employees would say things were going "great" during meetings:

The kiss of death at any of these product meetings — what would send Tony over the f------ moon— was when he went around the table asking how things are going, and you said 'Great!' Tony would just lose his s---, because things are never going great.

Although working with Fadell can be stressful, as Fast Company Notes, he also has a reputation for rewarding hardworking members on his team. His ridiculously high standards often bring out the best in employees, Nest cofounder Matt Rogers told Fast Company:

There have been times when Tony's banging his fist on the table and yelling at people and yelling at people and demanding excellence. But at the same time, he is incredibly caring and passionate about their development.